Hal Spencer

Hal Spencer (1961-) was a Chief Warrant Officer in the US Army during the Afghanistan War.

Biography
Hal Spencer was born in 1961, and he was inspired to join the US Army Green Berets by Vietnam War-era military movies. Spencer served in the Gulf War and in the Afghanistan War, giving up his opportunity to retire after hearing the news of 9/11 on 11 September 2001. Instead, he nominated Mitch Nelson to serve as captain of a special operations unit sent to aid Abdul Rashid Dostum's Northern Alliance fighters in the fight against the Taliban. He commanded half of ODA 595 and cooperated with the Northern Alliance forces during their push on Mazar-i-Sharif, and he was wounded by a suicide bomber during the campaign, ultimately surviving. After 23 days of almost continuous fighting, the members of ODA 595 were able to return home to their families, and Spencer returned to his wife and son.